Fun Bagualosaurus Facts For Kids

Bagualosaurus (Bagualosaurus agudoensis) existed about 230 million years ago during the late Triassic period. Its fossil remains were first excavated from the Santa Maria Formation of Brazil in South America and were found at the edge of a pond in Agudo.

These dinosaurs belonged to the clade of sauropodomorphs and possessed anatomical similarity with the Pampadromaeus, the fossil of which was also found in Brazil. The Bagualosaurus was a medium-sized dinosaur and its heavily-built body is often compared with the other sauropodomorphs of that period, which were much smaller in size.

These dinosaurs had a body length of 8.2 ft (2.5 m) and their leaf-like teeth confirmed their herbivorous diet. They had long necks and quadruped limbs.

Their fossil recovered from Brazil, comprised partial skull and lower jawbones. Hindlimb and vertebrae bones were also present along with the postcranial skeleton.

These giant dinosaurs later evolved to the much bigger sauropodomorphs, like the Plateosaurus and the Efraasia species.

The fossil was first described in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, and later on, it was studied by the paleontologists of the Federal University of Santa Maria, the São Paulo University as well as the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. Keep on reading to know more fun facts on this South American dinosaur.

If you liked reading this article, then do check out isanosaurus and chubutisaurus facts, here on Kidadl.

Bagualosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Bagualosaurus'?

Bagualosaurus was pronounced as 'Bag-gu-al-o-sor-us'.

What type of dinosaur was a Bagualosaurus?

Bagualosaurus (Bagualosaurus agudoensis) belonged to the Dinosauria, Saurischia, and Sauropodomorpha clades.

In which geological period did the Bagualosaurus roam the earth?

These early sauropodomorphs existed in the Carnian of the late Triassic period. The carnivorous dinosaur Buriolestes, the Cerritosaurus, the Staurikosaurus, and several other dinosaur species also lived during this period.

When did Bagualosaurus become extinct?

The Bagualosaurus became extinct about 230 million years ago, mainly due to natural disasters, like climate change, rise in sea level, forest fire. They were also hunted down by several predatory dinosaurs that existed during the Carnian of the late Triassic period, alongside these Bagualosaurus, for example, the Coelophysis and the Herrerasaurus.

Certain other factors like the lack of adaptive radiation as well as an enhanced ontogenetic growth in these species also contributed to their extinction.

Where did Bagualosaurus live?

The fossils of these dinosaurs (Bagualosaurus agudoensis) of the Carnian of the late Triassic, were excavated in the year 2007 from the edge of a pond in Agudo. This discovery confirmed that these dinosaurs resided in the Santa Maria Formation in Brazil.

The skeleton, though partly articulated and well preserved now, had undergone huge damage due to erosion, which made it difficult for the paleontologists to understand their full morphology.

What was the Bagualosaurus' habitat?

The dentition characteristics of these early dinosaurs confirmed that they used to feed on a variety of plants. From this particular fact, we can assume that the Bagualosaurus of the Carnian age, inhabited forests with lush green vegetation, grasslands, and also woodlands.

Who did Bagualosaurus live with?

There is no specific information available on the socializing behavior of this species. However, other sauropodomorphs mostly remained solitarily or foraged in small groups, thereby keeping an eye on each other's back.

How long did a Bagualosaurus live?

The exact lifespan of this dinosaur genus (Bagualosaurus agudoensis) is still unknown. But other dinosaurs belonging to the same Dinosauria clade lived for about 20-30 years or even more.

How did they reproduce?

Bagualosaurus dinosaur was oviparous, just like other dinosaurs, and laid giant eggs. These eggs were amniotic in nature, which provided all the nourishment to the developing embryo.

Although we do not have sufficient information to understand their reproduction habit, we can assume that they protected their eggs from other predatory dinosaurs, and therefore, were territorial in nature. No data is available on the sexual dimorphism of this species.

Bagualosaurus Fun Facts

What did the Bagualosaurus look like?

The Bagualosaurus size was medium and they can be considered heavily built when compared to its relatives that belonged to the same clade during the late Triassic period. Their body length was about 8.2 ft (2.5 m) and they could be as tall as 4.2 ft (1.3 m).

They had a long neck, with scaly and bumpy skin. The discovery of the Bagualosaurus skeleton gave an estimation of their weight as well, which is thought to be about 33 lb (15 kg).

Along with the skull and lower jawbones, three sacral, two caudal, and nine trunk vertebrae were discovered. The hindlimb bones including both the femur and fibulae were also part of the discovery.

The lower part of the skull and the teeth of these dinosaurs had unique characteristics.

The teeth were leaf-like with high dental crowns and not very strong. These characteristics confirmed their diet to be plant-based.

The paleontology also suggests that skull and teeth were similar to their relatives, Pampadromaeus, the remains of which were also excavated from Brazil. Similarities in these aspects are also observed in the paleontology of their early relatives.

How many bones did a Bagualosaurus have?

Paleontology of Bagualosaurus agudoensis reveals that only partial skeleton remains have been excavated till now. Therefore, the total number of bones of this species is not known. Its fossil is well preserved in the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in the Laboratory of Paleovertebrates. Only partial skull, lower jawbones, hindlimb, and postcranial skeleton remains were obtained.

How did they communicate?

The communication pattern of these dinosaurs, Bagualosaurus agudoensis, is not clearly known due to a lack of information. They may have communicated visually as well as vocally. They were capable of producing low grunts and cracked sounds.

How big was the Bagualosaurus?

These dinosaurs, Bagualosaurus agudoensis, were robust in size and were about 8.2 ft (2.5 m), and could have reached a height of about 4.2 ft (1.3 m). They were much larger when compared to the related species of sauropodomorphs of this period.

How fast could a Bagualosaurus move?

Although no specific information is available on their speed, we may conclude from its skeletal remains that, they had strong hindlimbs, but just like other sauropods, their pace was slow and probably not more than 10 mi (16 km) per hour. Their bulky body cut down their speed and made them stiff-legged.

They were quadrupeds, which further helps us to assess their locomotory skills, which were pretty slow.

How much did a Bagualosaurus weight?

These species of dinosaurs, Bagualosaurus agudoensis, were quite heavily-built, with an average body weight of about 33 lb (15 kg). They were medium-sized and are considered to be larger when compared to other sauropodomorphs, which existed at that time.

What were the male and female names of the species?

No specific names are given to the male and female dinosaurs of this species.

What would you call a baby Bagualosaurus?

A baby Bagualosaurs can be called a hatchling or a nestling, owing to the fact that dinosaurs laid eggs.

What did they eat?

The diet of these dinosaurs, Bagualosaurus agudoensis, was plant-based. They depended on various types of plants and plant fibers. Their teeth and skull bones have confirmed this particular herbivorous nature of these species.

How aggressive were they?

These dinosaurs were plant-eaters, and therefore, we can assume that they were not aggressive in nature. However, their robust body with long necks and quadruped limbs may have intimidated several animal species of that period.

Did you know...

After the excavation of the skeletal remains of this sauropodomorph, it remained in the Laboratory of Paleovertebrates in the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Several years later, Flávio Augusto Pretto in 2012, started studying the specimen. He along with Cesar Leandro Schultz, coined the name, Bagualosaurus agudoensis.

The Bagualosaurus are grouped under the sauropodomorpha clade due to the fact that all sauropodomporphs are plant-eaters. They possessed leaf-shaped tooth with disproportionate head and neck.

The Bagualosaurus also shared similarity with the prosauropoda, that existed during the late Triassic to the early Jurassic periods. However, the prosauropods were much smaller with a lighter body than that of the Bagualosaurus dinosaurs.

Why are they called Bagualosaurus?

The name, Bagualosaurus, was derived from the term, 'bagual', which means strongly built. This attributes to their robust medium-sized body. The term 'agudoensis' comes from Agudo, the place from where the skeleton of this dinosaur species was excavated.

Where was the Bagualosaurus discovered?

The remains of these dinosaurs were discovered at the edge of a pond in Agudo in Brazil.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these jobaria facts, or panphagia facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable singing dinosaur coloring pages.

Main image by Maurissauro

Second image by Nobu Tamura